NPC calls attention to shield law hearing

June 12, 2007

n Thursday, June 14, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the federal reporter-source shield law (H.R. 2102, the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007) sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.). Scheduled to testify are New York Times columnist William Safire, media attorney Lee Levine of Levine, Sullivan, Koch & Schulz, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eliason, now with the George Washington School of Law, and a representative from the Justice Department.

The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington.

In advance of the hearing, NPC President Jerry Zremski encouraged editorial page editors and bloggers to re-examine this bill.

"We are as close as we've ever come to having a federal shield law, providing legal protection for the confidentiality of our sources," Zremski said. "With so many reporters facing subpoenas and even prison for bringing truthful information to the public, this hearing is a great opportunity to revisit the importance of this bill in editorials, blogs and, where appropriate, news coverage of the hearing."